William comes home for Fathers' Day!

I know i'm a little behind in updating, but in case you hadn't heard-- Little William came home this past Sunday, just in time to celebrate his Dad! We are so excited for all of them, and remember well the relief it is to have your baby finally home! Here's to all of those sleepless nights-- let the fun begin!

http://brown-e-bytes.blogspot.com/2010/06/hes-home.html

taking mental pictures

for fathers' day we surprised Christian and Kyren with their first train ride on our own local West Chester Railroad, with Daddy. it was a photo opp if ever there was one-- but alas, our camera forgot to come with us! the looks on the boys' faces were priceless-- one wide-eyed and the other closed-eyed at the chugga-chugga movement of the train car. i made a point of capturing as much of the wonder and magic of a little boy's first train ride as i could in my mind's eye... and tried to soak up all of the father/son bonding moments that i could. i kept thinking how sweet a video of C's face would have been-- gazing, wide-mouthed, out the open window at every railroad crossing, river, and truck we passed. but there was also something special about it just being a memory for our little family, tucked away in our hearts. we shared smiles, laughter, and simple conversation. there was no posing, no 'do it again for the camera' moments. just a little family adventure. and while we don't have anything to show for it here, we have the mental snapshots, which we will do our best to preserve as the years pass by.
and while it was a fun family outing, it was also extremely hot and humid, and we were glad the ride was only an hour total. Kyren did finally wake up for the return trip, and seemed to enjoy most of it. as much as you can when you're a little ball of sweat.
looking forward to next time, when we'll hopefully have something to capture those sweet and sweaty faces... until then, we are thankful for our minds' eyes. AND for our wonderful Daddy!!!

mommy comes back

we've been singing this classic a lot lately. Unfortunately ever since we did a full 40 min of sunday school, separation anxiety seems to only be getting worse. it is SO sad and so hard. i can't even take a shower some days without him having to sit in the bathroom on his little chair until i'm done. the other day we went to visit the pre-school where C will be going in the fall. we had visited it once before, and walked around, and even saw my old kindergarten teacher-- she is still there, teaching kindergarten 25 years later! C seemed to enjoy it then, but the other day when we returned to drop off our paperwork (and a big sum of money), he sobbed hysterically from the time we walked in the doors til we were back in the car. not a good sign. i know he could totally be fine come September, but i don't have high hopes. we are going to try to ease into sunday school again over the next couple of months, and pray for his little heart to begin to trust that mommy really NEVER would forget to come back. everyone says it's a stage... but he's been in it now for so long. i'm sure someday i'll look back and long for the times i was so "wanted". but right now, i'd love to have a little space without feeling like i'm torturing the poor little guy. i am trying to prepare him for tomorrow when i'll be going to a wedding for most of the day. he's already crying. i'm trying to reassure him that he'll have so much fun while i'm gone. he's trying to believe me. and so am i!

p.s. i wouldn't normally start prepping him 24 hrs. in advance but it just kinda came up in conversation... who knows, maybe it will work?

trapezoids vs. triangles

the only way to get C to eat cheese is to let him slice it himself w/the cheese slicer board. lately i can only get him to eat it if he can create different shapes. i am not sure i could identify a cheese trapezoid as such, but apparently they're not as tasty as the triangular ones..!

giddy up

Christian LOVES to ride piggyback on daddy. and if daddy's not available, then mommy. and probably anyone who would offer. So the other night I asked him if he could give ME a piggyback ride, and he said, "No, you're too big." I showed him how I could just pretend to ride on his back as he crawled around the livingroom. Lots of giggles. Then it was Koo's turn. I'm not sure who was more enthralled by the idea, but I'm glad we at least caught a few seconds of it on film.

learning gentleness

ya gotta encourage it when you see it... even if it is with feet.

Fishtian

It's hard to get a picture of our little fish, Christian, due to the fact that he is constantly jumping in the pool, and needs someone to jump to; which would be me, or gramsy most days. leaving one of us to hold Kyren, who also likes to splash his chubby legs in the cool water... leaving NO one to hold a camera. but i wish we could capture his face and the sheer innocent joy that emanates from it every time he jumps.

a week or so ago i was thinking he would be scared to go anywhere near the pool. he tends to be hesitant about new things... and when we pulled the baby pool out over memorial day, he wouldn't even get in IT. but once the big pool was open for business, it was like no time had passed between last summer and this one. it wouldn't surprise me if he remembered that it was 'fun' from last year. there is something so precious about his innocence and trust in the water. and there is also something extremely unnerving about it. we watch him like hawks, always ready to plunge in to retrieve him, which i'm sure is a task not too far off.

i find myself wanting to protect him from things like fear and sadness more than i ever thought i would. wanting to allow him as much time as possible to be innocent of danger, evil, and all things fallen in this world. he doesn't know he can't breathe under water. ... he also doesn't know what a weapon is. he hasn't yet hit the stage where every stick becomes a sword or a gun. they are all just leaf blowers or vacuums or weed-whackers right now. and i like it that way. i really like it. he saw a soldier fire a rifle in last week's parade, and i told him it was a stick that made a loud 'bang'. he seemed content with that. dave overheard my explanation and gave me a 'come ON' kind of look. what?? i'm not gonna introduce him to weaponry until it's absolutely necessary. .... sigh. and until then, i will cherish every weed-whacker reenactment, every fully confident leap into the pool, and every little naked run down the hallway he enjoys when he can slip away before or after a bath or a pool time.

there will be plenty of time in life for fear, disappointment, and reality checks. i don't see a whole lot wrong with protecting his innocence for as long as is appropriately possible. Sure i tell him he's not allowed to jump in the pool without mommy there, but it's pretty hard to explain drowning to someone who doesn't know what oxygen is, let alone his vital need for it to survive. so swim to your precious heart's content, little Fishtian. and ENJOY the sparkle of the water and of life, while it is still unmarred and untainted.

(hopefully one of these days we'll get a picture of it!)

three cheers for Will!!

Little Cousin William has been making phenomenal progress-- and i have not been faithful to post about it (shame on me!) ! He is off of the Vent, wearing his own (and more of K's) clothes, sleeping in a 'crib', and doing very well overall!! We are so thankful for all of the answered prayer and quick progress from where he was just a couple of weeks ago, and look forward to hearing more and more good news!

for those who want details, you can find them here:

http://brown-e-bytes.blogspot.com/